Process of printing from photographic negatives.



J1 H, SNAPP. PROGBSS o? PRINUNG PROM PHOTOGRAPH-1G NEGMNBS.

I APPLICATION FILED MA1/31, 19l2.

atented Apr. 7, 191@ LOQQ.

fw @E j@ C@ .and

JOHN H. snare, or WASHINGTON, nrs'rnrc'r orcoronare..

PRGCESS Gl? PRINTNC-t FROM PHOTOGRAPI-IIC NEGATIVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

latente d Apr. t', 19M

Application filed May B1, 1912. Serial No. 700,786.

To NZZ 'savio/n, 13' may concern.'

lie it known that I, JOHN H. SrL-irma citizen et the United States,residing at 4516 M street, northwest, lVashington, in the District olfColumbia, have invented certain new and t ful Improvements in Processesot Printing from Photographie Negatives, of which :he following is aspecification.

My invention relates to the art of photogpraphy and more particularly toa method of reducing in the photographic print the contrasts between thehigh lights adows as they appear in the negative.

lt 1s well known that the ordinary photographic negative does not'properly represent objects asthey appear to the eye because ot thestrong Icontrasts between the high lights and the shadows and also dueto the i'act that unnatural contrasts are produced because ot thedilierent actinie properties ot' the objects due to their colors. Forthese reasons the positive printed troni a negative exaggeratescertainfeatures of the object and minimizes others, causing an unnatural andOft-times unpleasant ettect. 'Various expediente have been resorted tofor the purpose of overcoming or eliminating these detect-s and usuallyby some form oit retcuching or other treatment ot the negative itself.

The purpose ot' my invention is to provide a method of printing from theuntouched negative and eliminating or counteracting the improper orundesirable contrasts or shadows and causing the diiterent portions ofthe picture to print in their proper or desired density and tone. By mymethod I am also enabled to reduce to any desired amount the printing ofany particular portion of the picture. l

My invention will be clearly understood from the following descriptionin connection with the accompanying drawings in Which- Figure l, is aperspective View of an apparatus for carrying out my method of pho-ltographic printing; Fig. 2, is a cross-section on the line Q-Q of Fig.l; Fig. 3, is a rear perspective view of a portion of the iilm-carriershown in Fig; l; Fig. 4, is a top plan view of a. printing frameinclosing a positive print; and Fig. 5 is a plan View oila negativecorresponding with the posiftivein Figs.

Inlhgs. l and 2, I have shown an apparatus adapted to be used incarrying out my method of printing, in which is an ordinary printingframe, lmving the usual sectional back-hoard hinged together at 3, andholding the printing paper et, iirmly pressed against the negative 5 bymeans of the leal" springs (3, pivotally mounted to swing upon pivotscrews 7, and adaptedy to lock at their ends in the grooves 8, in thesides of the frame.

My method of counteracting or eliminating the effect of the undesirableparts ot the negative and of reducing' the shadowsor properlyproportioning their density rela-- tive to the high lights of thepicture, involves the interposition oi a translucent film. carrying areducing medium between the negative and the source of light by `whichthe print-ing or exposure is ciiected and out of Contact with thenegative' so that no sharp lines of demarcation shall be produced.

A suitable film for support-ing the translucent reducing mediuiu may beformed of tissue paper or tracing linen represented at 10, and securedto a `carrying frame 12, which is made to tit over the printing-frame l.When the parts are in position, the ilm 10, will be spaced or separatedfrom the negative 5, by a space equal to the width of the bevel orrabbet let of the printing-frame and the thickness of thecarrying-:trame l2, and this permits the dispersion of the light betweenthe film and the negative and prevents any sharp lines being producedupon the positive by the reducing medium. There is, therefore, no dangerot sudden contrasts` due to the use ci the reducing medium and it isunnecessary to move the parts during printing as in the use of shieldsin the dodging or shadowing operation employed by photographers torestralin the, printing from portions of a negative.`

I have discovered that an opaque 'substance will not serve the purposeof a reducing medium but that the medium must be translucent orsemi-translucent and moreover it should be capable of adhering to thesilipporting ilm and of being distributed accurately in order tograduate its density; I have discovered that amorphous powdered carbonwhen combined with an adhesive vehicle which may be resinous,saponaceous, waxen or a combination thereof, is suitable for producingtho reducing medium in my method of printing.

For the purposes of illustration, I have shown in Fig. 5 a negative of aportrait. lf

ilo

I the positive isprinted in the usual manner from this negative theeffect will be very displeasing by reason of the contrasts be# tweenhigh lights and shadows and the exaggerations produced. Thus, forexample,

the fleshy portions of the face just' under the eyes produceshadows,*appearing inthe negative as curved transparent lines, as at 15.

'.Again certain-parts of the hair are practicallytransparent and willproduce in the positive dense parts which will show no detail. The saineis true' of certain portions of the clothing. According tomy method,

theseparts may be4 restrained in the printing operation by interposing atranslucent medium' .having a, density proportional to thedegree oftransparency of these parts of the negative. Thus in Fig. 1 I haveindicated at 15, thin bands of the reducing vmedium yplaced upon thesupporting film in aposition to intercept the light rays' pass` ingthrough the transparent parts 15. Likewise patches of the reducing orrestraining medium at 16, coperate with Athe corra strained until theproper amount of contrast' lspending transparent portions of the hair toproduce a positive print having the proper color values. The printingquality of the clothing portions of thevnegative may be rewith the highlights is produced. .if desired, certain portions may be entirelyeliminated from the picture, producing the effect ci' vignetting.

I .have found that the light-restraining medium may be coated upon thesupporting film and evenly distributed thereon by means of achamoiscovered spatula or thin broad stick, and a cotton swab may beused as a spreader. Where a very dense medium is desired the coatinguponfront side of the iilm may be reinforced by a coating upon the reverseor rear side of the iilm as indicated in Fig. 3. In case it should bedesired to reduce the density ofthe coating or restraining medium' or toremove it in any portion of the film, this may be readily accomplished fby using sponge rubber.

determined. Moreover the'adhesive medium' renders-the amorphous powderedmaterial responsive to the operation of an eraser when it is desired tolighten or remove any of the material from` the film.

The many advantages of' my process of photographic printing will beappreciated by photographers. By my process the inaccuracies andundesirable features of a negative may be counteractedwith facilitywithout the necessity for laborious retouching of `the negative.vMoreovenby my 4process negatives which were useless may loe-used toproduce excellent positive prints. Again the relative effects of lightand shadow may be varied to suit the individual taste of theA operator.Y i

Iclaim:- 1. The process of reproducing a desired relation between thehighlights and shadows in a photographic picture which consists ininterposing a translucent sheet between the negative and the source oflight spacing saidtranslucent sheet 'from the negative, applying toVsaid sheet a coating of plastic adherent amorphous material, the

separate particles of which are at all times readily removable from eachother and from said sheet to vary the density or extent ot the coating,and manipulating said plastic adherentcoating to cause itsA extent tocorrespond to the portions of the 'negative through which it is desired.to restrain the actinic effect of the light-and 'its density to varywith the transparency of vthe correspondiiig adjacent portions ofthenegative. n

2. The process of reducing the contrasts between the high lights andshadows in printing positives from photographic neg atives whichcomprises interposing between the source of light and the negative atrans lucent lilin, spacing said film from the megative and placing uponsaid film a piastic adherent light-restraining medium in alinementwiththose portions of the negative containing the shadows through Vwhichit is desired to restrain the actinicl e'ect 0I" the light, and varyingthe density said ad herent medium to correspond with the trans.- parencyof the corresponding adjacent poitions of the'ne'gative, the treatedtranslucent iilm being spaced from the negative a distance productive ofcoalescent diiiusion oit minute shadows cast by either the transiucentfilmer the light-restraining medium thereon.4

8. The process of producing a desired relation between high lights andshadows in a photographic picture and copnterac'ting theu'ndesirableeiiiect of portions oi negatives, which comprises interposing asupporting light-transmitting sheet between the source of light andthenegativeand in spaced relation to the latter, spreading onl said sheet alightj toning down coatingof amorphous powdered carbon combined with aplastic adherent vehicle, and restricting thef coating -to thoseportions of theV sheet'matching the portions of the negative throughwhich it is desired to restrain the actinic eect' ioi the or false tonevalues, which consists in placi ng a shoet'of translucent In'aterial inspaced relation to the back of the negative, then producing upon saidsheet a coating of readily removable light toning-down material oppositethose parts of the negative that print too deeply, the coating beinggraded in density inversely to the thinness of the said parts ot' thenegative, and then subjectingr photo-sensitive material to the action ofactinic light transmitted through the treated sheet and the negativeWhile in spaced f relation.

5. The process of modifying` the printing effect of a photographicnegative Which eonsists in placing a sheet of lighttransniittingmaterial in spaced relation to the face of the negative remote from thatfrom which the ,f.; 'nts are to be taken, and then applying x lighttoning-down material to the sheet in locations matching those parts ofthe negative to be restrained 1n prlnting effect.

6. The process of producing photographic prints from negatives havingfaulty gradation, which consists in treating a sheet ot' translucentmaterial of substantially equal light'transmitting quality throughout,with light restraining material in positions and density With respect tothe faulty portions" of the negative in inverse relation thereto, andsubjecting a photo-sensitive medium to the' action of actinic lighttransmittedv through the treated sheet and the negative, in the ordernamed, With the sheet separated from the negative by a shallow air spaceand with the treated 'parts of the sheet in substantial register withthose portions of the negative to be restrained.

In testimony whereof I aliiX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN H. SNAPR Witnesses:

E. C. BROWN, E. E. WEAVER.

